Twist, Shout, and Shag
by Lindsey Loo
Summary: It's the summer of '63, and best friends, Haley, Brooke, Peyton, and Millicent head to Myrtle Beach for one last weekend together before Haley's marriage. It's a chance to go wild, meet boys, and dance! Based on the movie Shag 1989 .
1. Getaway

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, my friend Jordan turned _Guiding Light_ into a One Tree Hill fan fic by replacing character names with those of OTH characters. So, I have done the same thing for OTH, but with the movie _Shag (1989)_. My aunt and cousins were actually extras in this movie because it was filmed in Myrtle Beach where they live! And I watched it that first time when they told me about it and fell completely in love with it! I hope you do too! **

**Please note that the dialogue is DIRECTLY taken from the movie, but the thoughts are obviously my doing since there are no voice overs in the movie. No copyright intended, just having fun here, people! **

**Also, please note that Pudge is Peyton, but I had to keep her name Pudge because… well you'll see. But whenever you see the name Pudge, picture Peyton Sawyer. (: Enjoy!**

**One more thing, I know it starts out with Haley/Lucas as a couple, but I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE that this is a Naley story! Just be patient! (:**

Chapter 1: Getaway

The day was bright and she was late. Millicent Huxtable had everything packed and in the car the night before, but she'd woken up late, which was very unlike her, and was now late to pick up the girls. As she hurried down the stairs, the Huxtable family's housekeeper, Deb was walking up them with a tray full of breakfast food for her parents. As she passed Deb, Millicent's makeup bag that was stuffed full of all her makeup burst open, spilling makeup all over the staircase.

"Damn!" she yelled. "Why does everything have to happen when you're in a damn hurry?"

"Why Millicent," Mrs. Huxtable said as she rounded the corner from the back parlor. "You think your daddy can't hear that language?" She had her morning coffee in her hand and sipped it gently. "Oh dear," she said disapprovingly, "you're not wearing Bermuda shorts to Fort Sumpter? Least of all to someone's house?" Her mother was always fussing about Millicent's appearance. She had to wear the best clothes, the best makeup (but not too much), and have to most expensive up to date glasses. Millicent's current pair were deep pink and matched her face whenever she got embarrassed.

"Well I'm going to change in a gas station before we get there," Millicent replied.

"Senator Huxtable's daughter does _not_ undress in a gasoline station," her mother replied in a sweet but stern voice as she headed into the living room. "Now go upstairs and change."

"Damn!" Millicent yelled scraping her make up into her makeup bag and stomping upstairs.

"Nicely."

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!"

While Millicent started the car, which so happened to her mother's brand new 1963 Mercury Comet convertible, bright red, top down, Deb loaded up two more bags in the car that her mother had requested. And Mrs. Huxtable came out to bid her daughter farewell. "Now do try to learn something," she said to her daughter. "The civil war started in Fort Sumpter."

"Everyone knows that mama," Millicent replied.

"And do try to be gracious, remember who you are."

"Yes ma'am."

"And don't wear dark lipstick."

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't stay up to late."

"Yes ma'am." The car was in drive and Millicent hit the gas, grateful to be away from her parents.

"And don't let any of the other girls drive my car!" she yelled as Millicent pulled away.

"Yes ma'am!" she called back as she turned out of the driveway and on to Pudge's house.

"Other than that, have a good time!" But Millicent couldn't hear. She was already out of sight.

After she made it out of the neighborhood she looked in the rearview mirror and giggled. She was free!

Pulling up to Pudge's house she honked the horn four times and saw Pudge running out with her suitcase, her mother in tow.

"Pudge, Pudge," Mrs. Sawyer said. "You forgot your MetriCal honey."

"Oh mama," Pudge said, rolling her eyes.

"And stay on your diet, dear. You want to fit into that bridesmaid's dress."

"Bye mama," Pudge said annoyed and hurried to the car.

"Hey Millicent!" Mrs. Sawyer called.

"Hey!" Pudge said in sing-song voice as she handed Millicent her suitcase. Millicent put it in the back seat and she and Pudge climbed into the car.

"Is your mama still making you diet?" Millicent asked. Pudge wasn't as thin as her three friends, but she wasn't fat either. But anyone over a size two was fat in her mother's eyes. "They'll be nothing left Pudge."

"She hasn't noticed yet," Pudge said as they started for the road.

"Bye!" both of the girls called to Mrs. Sawyer who was on the front porch.

"Bye sweetheart!" she called back. "Ya'll have fun!"

"Weee!" Pudge said as they pulled onto the road. Now they were onto Brooke's. "I thought you'd never get here Millicent."

"So did I."

Then a thought crossed Pudge's mind. "Suppose your mama calls my mama?"

"She won't. She won't," Millicent replied in a reassuring voice. "She's going off campaigning with daddy somewhere. What'd your mama say about the trip?" She held out the word "trip" like she had a secret. And she did.

Pudge cleared her throat. "'I'm so thrilled you girls are taking an interest in your heritage'," she said in a higher than normal voice. "'Now, you take this jar of pepper relish to Millicent's Aunt Devote'."

The two girls laughed, because as they both knew, Millicent didn't have an Aunt Devote, and the girls weren't going to Fort Sumpter for the weekend. Pudge threw the jar of pepper relish out of the side of the car and it busted into a million glassy pieces on the road behind them. Pudge then took the MetriCal out of the bag her mother had given her and threw it out of the car as well. "'And stay on your diet, dear'," she mocked. "Yuck, yuck, yuck!"

As the girls pulled up, Brooke Davis was in her room getting ready for the break-out, her overbearing father outside her locked door threatening to come in.

"Brooke, open this door, you hear me?"

"I'm not decent, daddy," she replied. Her short brown hair was pulled back in a hair band and she was putting the finishing touches on her eyeliner.

"You tell those girls to lay off that horn, you're not going with them."

"Yes sir," Brooke said as she checked to make sure he wasn't coming in and then put her button-up tank top on over her polka-dot bikini top.

"And you ain't fooling me with that 'Fort Sumpter' story." While her dad went on, Brooke threw her bag out of the window.

Millicent and Pudge saw the bag fly out and hit the grass below. "Uh oh," Millicent said, pulling the car up to the side of the house. "Break out." Brooke climbed down the ladder that she had her father put outside the window in case of a house fire.

"Someday her daddy's gonna take that ladder away!" Pudge yelled as Brooke made it down, picked up her bag and darted to the car. "Come on!"

Millicent opened her door and Brooke threw the bag in the back with Pudge's and flopped down in her seat yelling, "Go! Go! Go! Lay rubber!" As they made for the highway Brooke's very angry father ran out of the side door and yelled.

"Brooke! Get back here right now!" But soon he was out of sight, and he had no clue where they were all going.

"I can't believe you're leaving me with the whole wedding," Haley James's fiancé Lucas said. He was behind a privacy screen in Haley's bedroom while Mrs. James and Haley's aunt fitted her for her wedding dress.

"Lucas, it's only for three days," and she lifted her arm above her head to get it away from the prying grip of her mother's hand.

"Don't raise your arms," her mother said.

"Three days is a long time," Lucas said, annoyed. He never wanted to help out with anything and so leaving for the weekend was killing him.

"Lucas," Mrs. James said, "just let her go on this little outing so I can get on without all this fuss." And at that moment he turned around and peeked at the dress without anyone seeing.

"You haven't even chosen your bouquet yet," Lucas whined. And Haley lifted her hand to her head to wipe off sweat that wasn't even there.

"Don't raise your arms, Haley," her mother said sternly.

"Sorry mama," Haley said exasperated. This whole wedding was going to be the death of her.

"Fort Sumpter?" Lucas said as he stepped onto the front porch with Haley, carrying her bags. The three friends were pulling into the driveway at that moment and Haley waved. "I don't understand why you have to go right now."

"Uh oh," Pudge said. "Lucas is having a hissy."

"Ya'll told," Brooke said accusingly.

"Shh," Millicent said, "Nuh uh."

"Yeah," Pudge added. "Haley still thinks we're going to Fort Sumpter."

"She is going to lay a brick when she finds out where we're taking her," Brooke said, and at the moment Haley leaned in to give Lucas a goodbye kiss. "French him Haley!" Brooke yelled.

"Can you imagine marrying anybody so dullsville?" Pudge asked. "Kill me now."

"So ya'll don't think Haley and Lucas have premarried sex?" Brooke said aloud.

"Brooke, gross!" Millicent said making a face and turning back to the couple who were now walking to the car.

"Haley told me Lucas doesn't see any point in it," Pudge said. "They're saving it for their wedding night."

"Yeah," Brooke said. "He'll wait until then to spring it on her he doesn't have a tallywacker." To this, Pudge laughed but Millicent sushed them.

"Ya'll don't talk ugly about Lucas, in front of Haley. Remember we have to make this the best weekend of her entire life." Then the three girls turned around.

"Hi Lucas," they all said.

"Hello," he replied shortly.

"Hi ya'll," Haley said softly.

"You okay sugar?" Pudge asked.

Haley got in the car. "Lucas didn't want me to come."

"It'll be fun!"

Lucas put the bags in the trunk and shut the lid. "Ya'll behave yourselves now," he said.

"Bye Lucas!" the three girls called.

"Bye," Haley said blowing him a soft kiss. And as they pulled out of the drive he just saw his fiancé drifting further and further away.


	2. Myrtle Beach

Chapter 2: Myrtle Beach

"Okay everybody," Haley said an hour later, still on the road, starting a fun quiz from a magazine. "How mature are you? The night before the prom, your steady breaks his leg. Do you A) stay home with him watching TV and let your new prom gown go to waste or B) drag him to the prom, broken leg and all, and then dance with his best friend all night?"

"Well, what's the best friend look like?" Brooke asked and then smiled. Pudge laughed.

"A," Millicent said. "Stay home with him watching TV."

"Millicent is mature!" Haley said giving her a pat on the head.

"Next question. At the prom, your dreamboat offers you an alcoholic beverage, do you A) politely refuse and ask for a soft drink-."

"Or B) get knee-walking drunk and let him go to third base," Brooke said laughing. All the other girls laughed too, because even though she said those things, she was a Christian, and would never let a boy go all the way with her. "Okay!" she said presenting a fortune teller to Pudge. "Pick a color."

"Yellow," Pudge said.

"Y-E-L-L-O-W," Brooke said as she opened and closed the teller. Then she opened it up and handed it to Pudge for her to choose a number and read her fortune.

"You will marry Bullwinkle and have three kids!" she said in disbelief. "Well at least I won't be an old maid."

"If I'm not engaged by the time I'm twenty," Millicent said. "I'm going to kill myself."

Haley and the other girls laughed and she looked at the scenery around her. She noticed the exit coming up for Fort Sumpter, and just when she thought Millicent would slow down, she drove right past. "Millicent, that was our turn off!"

"Oh damn!" Millicent said. "Guess that means we just _have _to go to Myrtle Beach!"

"In that case!" Brooke said ripping off her tank top and letting her polka dot bikini top show. She then took the wheel so Millicent could take off her skirt that she'd put on over her Bermuda shorts that morning.

"Brooke!" Haley yelled in disbelief? "Millicent? Have ya'll gone crazy turn this car around!" And at the moment, the girls were in such a state of vigor that the car swerved into the other lane while a huge truck was coming up on them and blared his horn. The four girls screamed as Millicent took the wheel again and steered them back into the right lane, Pudge laughed and Brooke stuck up her middle finger at the truck driver as they passed.

"What are ya'll doing?" Haley said, not having a clue what was going on.

"Going to Myrtle Beach to meet boys," Brooke said. "What are you doing?"

"Turn on the radio!" Pudge yelled. And Millicent cranked it up while the three girls hooted and hollered.

_Let me in! Weee-ooo! _The song played.

"Be careful," Haley yelled just knowing another incident with a truck would happen.

As they drove into Myrtle Beach, hundreds of people and cars were everywhere. The amusement rides were going and the smells of soft pretzels and hot dogs filled the air. The three girls enjoyed it, but Haley sat pouting.

"Let's go on everything," Pudge said as they passed the Ferris Wheel, and the swings.

"We will," Millicent replied as she tried to push on through the crowds.

"I wanna call Lucas," Haley said from the backseat.

"You're _not_ calling Lucas," Millicent said as a mother would to her child.

"Haley we only came here so you could have a good time," Brooke chimed in.

"I'm not allowed to go to Myrtle Beach," she was scared now. Scared of what her mama would say; what Lucas would say.

"We won't tell on you," Pudge said.

"Shuck," Millicent said. "We're not in high school anymore."

But Haley didn't understand. Obviously they were going to Millicent's family's house but Millicent was the level-headed one, the one who always backed up Haley, and now she'd turned against her. All of her friends had. They'd intended for this to be a fun weekend. But Haley wasn't having fun.

They drove along and then they drove up to a banner taped to two poles like an arch over the road. "Oh, I forgot it was Sun Fun Festival this weekend," Millicent said. No wonder there were so many more people than usual.

"Wooo-ooo!" Came a call from behind the car. The girls all looked over to the right to see a pale yellow car pull up beside them. In the driver's seat sat a very attractive boy, dark hair and bright blue eyes. He was muscular and tanned, like he'd been in Myrtle Beach all summer.

"Hi," he said smiling at them. But mainly, he was looking at Haley. She looked down at her hands in her lap. She didn't do well with this sort of thing.

"Hi," said his friend who was on the passenger side of the car, but he'd pulled himself out of the window where he now sat. He was cute, in a boyish sort of way.

"Where are ya'll from?" the driver asked.

"None of your beeswax!" Millicent said shrewdly.

"'None of your beeswax'? That's so queer." Pudge said from the backseat.

"They were cute," Brooke said as the boys' car skidded to a halt because of a stopped car in front of them. "And he was adorable. Hey ya'll, come on!" She called back to them.

"Brooke, don't!" Millicent pleaded. "I've been coming to Myrtle Beach since I was an itty bitty girl. We just don't date these local boys."

"Well I'm not stuck having to marry the son of some old plantation owner Millicent. I can have fun."

"I think you're forgetting whose weekend this is," Millicent nodded back towards Haley who pretended she wasn't paying attention, but rather interested in what was around her.

Pudge gave a slight pity smile in her direction as the girls pressed onward.

"Oh my God, look," said Brooke as they were passing the Magnolia Court Hotel. Millicent stopped the car on the side of the road and the four girls looked at the building. "That's where Shelly got pregnant last year." They sat looking at the hotel for a few moments before Haley finally spoke.

"It's not too late to go to Fort Sumpter."

"Honestly Haley, we're not going to get pregnant," Pudge said.

"We can conduct ourselves as ladies," Millicent added. "No matter where we are."

A hick horn sounded as they were just about to make their way out of the main boardwalk area. And the girls noticed the same pale yellow car pull up. But this time, the driver was hanging out of the passenger window and his friend was driving.

"Ya'll forgot your beer!" the handsome stranger said as he shook up the beer and sprayed it on them as the car passed. He mostly got Haley which made her very upset. The four girls screamed, but Brooke was having fun.

As the car passed Brooke yelled out "Get em!" And she slammed her foot on top of Millicent's foot to press down the gas.

"Brooke!" She yelled and pushed her off, slamming her foot down on the brake, and bringing her mother's car to a halt. Brooke, Pudge, and even Haley were all laughing (mainly at Brooke's outburst) but Millicent was mad. "Now ya'll! Act like you've got some upbringing. I mean it." She was scolding them now, and then all turned their heads down to hide their giggles from Millicent. "Everybody in this entire town knows the senator. If my daddy finds out, we'll be on restriction until we're old and gray. Now, we can have a good time. But we cannot be wild." And once again, they were on their way.

"There's the pavilion, Pudge," Millicent said as they passed a large building. A big banner hung on the outside and Pudge had just read it when Millicent finished her thought. "And look there's a shag contest."

"Get on your shaggin' shoes," said Brooke. And as they passed Pudge got up and turned around, staring at the beautiful sight.

"That is so cool," she said in awe. Shag dancing was her favorite, and she was very good at it. How did her mother think she lost all that "baby fat"?

A few minutes later the four girls were outside the Huxtable's beautiful two story house looking for the spare key to unlock the door. They'd searched the garage and found nothing, and were now looking under the front porch steps, under rocks, and little porch ornaments like the ceramic turtle for the thing.

"Where the hell is it?" Millicent said, looking under a bush. Pudge and Brooke who were supposed to be helping were peering in through the windows to see the inside of the house.

"Let's break in," Brooke said.

"Brooke Davis, you are not running this show!" Millicent snapped. She could never tell when Brooke was kidding or serious, but she was 90% sure she was being serious this time.

"Ah!" Millicent said as she pulled the container with the key from under the bush. And the girls all grabbed their things and went inside.

The house was beautifully built and decorated. Mrs. Huxtable had a decorator come all the way from New York City to decorate, but two days later thought it didn't have that southern appeal and chucked everything just to redo it all. The girls stood awestruck in the foyer. They all put down their bags by the door and Pudge and Haley ventured into the living room.

"I think I could live her," Pudge said.

"This is _some_ beach house," Haley said.

"Now there's gonna be some rules around here," Millicent said. "For one thing Idon'!" She said it so fast and loudly just before Pudge sat down on the couch. Pudge immediately stood up, looking a little embarrassed.

"If you have to sit down, then just sit on the floor. Also, don't anybody use the telephone."

"Come on, Millicent," Brooke said annoyed.

"The house is supposed to be empty. If we run up that phone bill and daddy sees someone was here, well then there's no way-."

"What about calling Lucas?" Haley asked from the middle of the staircase?

"You're not calling Lucas," the other three girls all said at once.

"And furthermore," Millicent said walking over to the liquor cabinet and locking it. "Daddy's bourbon is strictly off limits. Other than that," she said turning around to the girls. "Why, make yourselves at home."


	3. Introductions

Chapter 3: Introductions

"Five-thirty. Give your hair a fresh set. He's worth the extra trouble," Brooke read from a magazine. It was the cover issue of the girl who'd won Miss Galaxy the previous year, giving beauty advice for getting ready for a date. The girls were getting ready to head to the pavilion for dancing and food. Pudge, never worrying too much about her appearance was dressed in her yellow Bermuda shorts, and tank top, hair held back with a band, and bare feet. While the other three girls got ready she had a dancing rope tied to the bedpost and was shag dancing with it. It's what she always did when she couldn't dance with a partner, which was usually always.

Brooke laid on the bed, in her pants and a bra, reading from the magazine. Millicent and Haley were in the bathroom, Millicent doing Haley's hair for the night.

"After your bath apply a cloud-like spray of his favorite cologne, and don't forget your deodorant," Brooke laughed. The other girls giggled too. "I can't believe she put that in there. Six-thirty, apply makeup."

"What does she say about eye-liner?" Millicent asked. "Does she do that little taily thing at the end?"

"I think eye-liner looks trashy," Haley put in her two cents.

"I wear eye-liner," said Brooke.

"Well, I like the way it looks on some people," Haley said with a smile as Millicent gave her a small push. Brooke went back to reading.

"What does that add up to?" Pudge asked. "She spends two and a half hours getting ready to go out?"

"Reckon that's how she got to be Miss Galaxy." Brooke held the picture of the girl up for Pudge to see. "She's not even that pretty." She got up to take the magazine over to Millicent and Haley. "Don't ya'll think she looks exactly like Gigi?" The two girls studied the picture and burst into laughter.

"Gigi was the one that told me about boners," Pudge said running into the bathroom.

"Gross," cried the girls.

"It isn't a bone at all! It's a muscle. A cousin of hers dated a Clemson Tiger who sprained his in a game. And she had to massage it every night when it got hard because he was in so much pain."

"Gigi told you that?" Brooke said bursting into laughter.

"And she always acts so innocent," Millicent laughed. But Pudge didn't think it was funny. She was sure Gigi was serious.

"Now," Millicent said turning the attention to Haley's hair. "What do you think? French twist or bubble flip?"

"Bubble flip's much better for shaggin'," Pudge said. "Come on, let's go!" She was ready to go.

"I'm not gonna dance," Haley said. It didn't feel right without Lucas.

"You're gonna dance," Brooke said taking the brush to Haley's hair.

"This is your weekend," Millicent said squatting down in front of her. "Just forget about that old wedding and let us spoil you."

At that moment Haley looked down at her lap.

"Haley I will never get over how tiny your feet are, what size do wear? Four? Four and a half?" Pudge said from the bed, admiring Haley's tiny yellow shoe.

"Lucas is certainly a very lucky boy," Millicent continued.

"Oh," Haley cried out as she let her head fall into her hands.

"Sugar, what's wrong?"

"Looky, looky," Pudge said putting Haley's white rabbit puppet on her hand and walking over to her. It was her plaything as a child, and for sentimental reasons took it with her on trips just to have a piece of home wherever she went. "It's Binky." Seeing Binky made Haley smile.

"Sugar, tell Millicent what's wrong."

Haley sniffed. "I love ya'll so much. But ya'll are going off to college and everything. And you're gonna forget me. I know I shouldn't be jealous. But I am." Tears were coming down now and Haley wiped them away, along with some mascara.

"She's wrecked her face," Brooke said going back into the bedroom.

"Haley," Millicent said grabbing a tissue and handing it to her. "I swear. I swear on the bible that I will write you every week from college. And so will Pudge. And so will Brooke."

"I'm not going to college," Brooke said as she put on her midriff bearing shirt.

"Do ya'll think I'm doing the right thing?" Haley asked.

"Yeah sure," Brooke offered, but only so this conversation would end.

"Of course we do," Millicent said. "Lucas is a wonderful person from a wealthy and respected family. And I know you're just gonna be very happy."

"And if you're not," Brooke said. "There's always divorce."

"Brooke!" Millicent and Pudge both yelled. But Haley giggled a little. Her friend could be shrewd, but she knew how to lighten the mood.

They left the house and headed for the pavilion. The nightlife was even busier than the daytime. Cars and people everywhere were enjoying the night. Kids and teenagers ran by with cotton-candy and balloon animals, heading to the amusement rides. With Millicent driving, Brooke and Haley sat in their seats, but Pudge was so excited for everything that was happening, she sat on the top of the seat, or stood most of the time to get a better look at all of the sights. They passed under a banner that read "Miss Sun Queen Pageant" and saw fun places like the drive-in restaurant.

"Where you going, baby?" a guy called to Brooke as he passed by. She winked and smiled, and Millicent made a face.

"Millicent, how come you never brought us here before?" Brooke asked.

"I haven't brought you here now, remember?" she said reminding them that the trip was a secret.

"Right."

"Haley, you look exactly like Jackie Kennedy," Pudge said with Haley's hair flipped out at the bottom. She'd never seen it like that before.

"I think JFK's a sweet potato," Brooke said.

"Eww Brooke he's an old man!" Pudge said.

"I don't care. I'd have an affair with him outside of marriage," Brooke laughed. She was joking, and the other knew she was joking, but Millicent still didn't care. There were some things you just didn't joke about.

"He's the president, Brooke. That's sacreligious."

As they passed the ice cream shop, a tall handsome strong boy walked out in a sleeveless shirt showing off his muscles. "What a sweet potato," Brooke said. And all of the girls looked. He saw them all looking at him and smiled.

"Oh!" Pudge exclaimed. "He saw us!" She ducked down along with Haley and they all laughed. And they went onward, stopping in traffic and Haley looked up and saw a banner with a picture of none other than Chris Keller, the music slash actor sensation that was gripping the nation.

"Chris Keller!" Haley said in awe.

"Where?" Pudge said looking around.

"There," Haley pointed to the sign.

"They can't really mean the real Chris Keller can they?" Brooke said.

"That's him," Haley smiled. "That's Chris Keller. Ya'll don't think he's really gonna be here, do you?"

"God," Pudge groaned. "He's a greaser. I thought you were over him."  
"How can you like him and Lucas Roe at the same time?" Brooke asked, smiling.

"He can't even sing," Pudge added. "Did you see _Paradise and You_? Made me puke."

"Well, most of it is-." Haley defended. But Millicent spoke up.

"Ya'll, it's okay if Haley likes Chris Keller."

"Yeah," Brooke said. "He's got a great… personality."

As the car glided along at only ten miles per hour, a guy with a beer came up beside them. "Okay, which one of you girls is mine?" he asked.

Pudge laughed. "None of us," she said.

"They're all so forward," Haley noted.

Then a sight appeared in front of them and all the girls (except for Brooke) groaned. The same yellow car came towards them. The dark haired boy was driving and threw something at the car windshield. It broke, spraying water everywhere, and stuck to the shield. And it wasn't until too late that they girls realized it was a condom.

"Oh my God!" Brooke yelled. "It's a thing!"

"I can't believe the jerks in this town!" Millicent yelled.

Haley turned around, a vacant expression on her face and stared into his eyes until he had to turn around to see where he was driving.

They reached the pavilion just in time to see everyone on the dance floor shaggin' the night away. The four girls got a table, some sodas and watched for a few minutes hoping someone would ask them to dance.

_Just a little bit longer. Please, please, please, please tell me you're going to. Now your daddy don't mind. And your mommy don't mind. If we have another dance, yeah, just one more, one more time. Why don't you stay, just a little bit longer. Please let me in. And say you will. Say you will. Won't you place your sweet lips to mine? Won't you say you love me, all the time? _The music was going, the band just playing away, and Pudge desperately wanted to get onto the floor.

"I'm really here. I can't believe I'm really here," Pudge said. "Please God, someone ask me to dance."

The music got faster and louder, and a guy and two girls came dancing by in a line, acting crazy. Their clothes and hairstyles a little out of the ordinary. The boy, tall and skinny, had an elvis-like style with the long side burns, and the girls both tall, both pretty, but the scary kind of pretty that reminds you of an evil queen, both had her hair in an up-do that made their heads look lopsided. One girl, had dark brown hair; the other, with red hair, had a cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth.

"God," Brooke said as they passed. "Look at these Boho hair-dos. Where are they from?"

"Oh good, here come somebody," Pudge said as a guy walked their way.

"Pudge," Brooke said. "If he asks you to dance, first time say no. You don't want him thinking you're desperate."

The guys approached the table. "Would any of ya'll like to dance?"

"No thank you," Pudge said reluctantly.

"I'd love to!" Brooke said leaping from the table and into his arms.

"Brooke!" Pudge yelled.

"The exception proves the rule," Brooke smiled and went off to dance.

Pudge just smiled and rolled her eyes. Typical Brooke. She shouldn't have fallen for it.

"Hey baby!" a voice called from behind them. It was a tall, very skinny man, a sombrero around his neck, and sunglasses on his face, to hide his bloodshot eyes, no doubt. He was looking at Millicent. "Let's twist!" And he dragged her protesting "Wait, wait, wait. I don't dance!" from the table out to the dance floor where he proceeded to fling her around. She tried desperately to get away but he would always grab her again.

"Aww," Haley said. "Poor Millicent!"

"Oh my God," Pudge said, "such a creep!" As Millicent still tried to pry away but was lost in a sea of dancers.

Pudge and Haley couldn't help themselves, they had to laugh. And once they'd finished, Pudge went back to hoping someone would ask her to dance. A guy started walking toward their table and Pudge looked at him expectantly, but he walked right past to a girl standing on the wall behind them and took her by the hand, leading her out to the dance floor.

"Why can't girls ask boys to dance?" Pudge asked with a whine. "It's not fair." She said looking over at Brooke dancing with that boy.

Then, out of nowhere, the handsome stranger from the day and his friend sat down at their table. "Hi," said the dark-haired blue-eyed one to Haley. "Buy you a beer?"

"They don't sell beer here," Pudge said, mostly to herself.

"I have a soda, thank you," Haley said.

"Bartender, four beevos," he said and his friend pulled up a small cooler and pulled out four beers for everyone, taking the tops off for them.

"Nice night," the friend said.

"Oh yeah, real nice," replie Pudge just trying to make conversation. "Say, you don't happen to shag, do ya?" she asked hopefully.

"Nah," said the cute friend who was now putting straws into the beers. The handsome man didn't answer, just kept staring at Haley, smiling, like he knew a secret he didn't want to tell. Pudge sat back in her chair, disappointed.

"I'm Nathan Scott," said the dark haired handsome boy to Haley. "Let's dance." He reached for her hand.

"I'm sorry," she said holding up her left hand. "I'm engaged."

"Well, I'm sorry you're engaged too," he replied taking her hand this time.

"Wait!" she said before he could pull her up. "Dance with my girlfriend first." And Pudge hopped at the chance to dance with anyone. She stood up quickly and walked with him out onto the dance floor where they started shagging. He was very good, knew the steps, and was able to lead her. This was great! She'd never had a partner this good before! As they twirled around, Pudge noticed the same boho red haired girl hanging out against the wall beside them, smoking a cigarette and watching Nathan as they danced. And every so often, she would look at Pudge with disdain.

When Pudge could take it no longer, and after Nathan spinned her she stopped in front of the red-head girl. "Got your eyeful?" she asked. But Nathan grabbed her hand and they began to dance again, but not before she heard the girl retort.

"Fat-ass," she said.

Back at the table, Nathan held out the chair for Pudge to sit down and then walked over to Haley just as a slow song was coming on. He held out a hand, and reluctantly she took it, letting him lead her to the floor. And Pudge was left with the friend, who's name she learned was Jake. After Nathan and Haley had left to dance, there was an awkward pause where they both didn't know what to say.

"Do you know any elephant jokes?" Jake asked, to break the ice.

"Is that a remark?" Pudge snapped.

"About what?" said Jake, clearly confused.

"Sorry," Pudge said, embarrassed. "I guess I'm just sensitive about my weight."

"What weight?" Jake said looking her up and down. Pudge smiled.

"You want to drive out out to Weewap Point?" asked Nathan as he and Haley were dancing. His arm was getting too low on her waist and so she pulled it back up.

"Weewap Point?" Haley said laughing. "You're out of your mind if you think I'd go parking with you. I don't even know you."

"Well I don't know you either," he said. "But I don't consider that an impediment." And in that moment, he reached down and wiped something off of the breast of her shirt. Haley was so embarrassed and angry that he would ever even consider touching her, especially there! She let go of him and stepped back.

"Sorry," he said. "You had a little something on your little thing there." She was shocked, and stood there dumbfounded, but he smiled and took her hands again and started dancing, pulling her closer than before.

While that was going on, Brooke was outside the pavilion at the beach doing the limbo. She was one of the last girls left and the pole was so low, but she was ready and she knew she got it. Just before her stomach was about to go under, her knees bent as much as they could, she heard it.

"Yeah!" cried a voice. "Dance on your butt, babe!" And she felt the floor shake underneath her. She fell and looked up into the face of the brunette boho hair girl and her friend laughing. "Oops," she said. "My foot slipped." Brooke gave them a mean stare and then walked away, but not before she winked at the guy with sideburns that was with them earlier. _That'll get them going,_ Brooke thought.

"Bitch," the brunette girl said as she wrapped and arm around him. It had to be her boyfriend.

In the bathroom, Brooke was in the stall, when the same two girls came in. They didn't use the bathroom, but stood at the sink, and through the crack in the stall she could see the red-head writing on the wall with red lipstick, and the other re-applying make-up.

"She thought she was the bees knees until she landed flat on her butt," said the redhead laughing. "I can't wait until you win Miss Sun Queen tomorrow. Chase will about die when you waltz off with Chris Keller."

"Oh Rachel," said the brunette. "You really think I could win Miss Sun Queen?" Then she looked at Rachel and they both laughed, like it was inevitable.

Brooke, with a sudden surge of energy slammed open the door, hitting Rachel. "I got news," she said walking out. "You're gonna lose." And she left the bathroom to see the tall guy, what was his name? Chase? He was standing there jingling keys. Brooke gave him a nod and followed him out to the car.

"Jake, grab the bar," said Nathan as he and Haley walked back over to the table. "We're going to make like a tree and leave."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," said Haley pulling away.

"Well don't play hard to get, you might miss something," Nathan said pulling her along. And Pudge and Jake followed to the pale yellow car.

Meanwhile, the creep had Millicent against the wall and was trying so hard to kiss her, while all she wanted was to get away. Finally, when she saw Brooke had left with Chase, and saw Pudge and Haley leave with those two jerks, she'd had enough. "In the name of dinity, I beg you to stop!" she yelled punching him and then pushing him away. She composed her self and then ran after her friends.


	4. What a Night!

Chapter 4: What a Night!

Millicent ran outside to see the pale yellow car driving off, Nathan driving, Haley in the passenger seat, and Pudge and Jake staring out the back.

"Pudge! Wait!" Millicent called, but Pudge just smiled and waved at her friend as the car drove off blaring that annoying horn. Millicent turned around to see Brooke hanging out the passenger window of Chase's very nice car. "Brooke!" she yelled, but Brooke didn't hear or care. She was having a good time. Chasing after Chase's car was Rachel driving her car, with the brunette girl in the passenger seat yelling after them.

"Boho son of a bitch, I'm gonna get you!" she cried.

"Wait! Wait!" Millicent yelled. "Ugh!" And she ran for her car.

The three cars chased each other in a whirlwind of sand. Rachel and her friend, Alex, was her name, wanted to get Chase and the little tramp, and Millicent just wanted to know where everyone was going.

Brooke was laughing in the car. "This is the most fun," she said.

"That carpetbagging slut," said Alex in the car behind them.

"They're going to Weewap Point," said Rachel, chewing her gum ferociously.

"Oh good," Alex said with a wicked grin.

Brooke took a sip of a Burbon bottle that Chase had in a paper bag. "Girl, you make me think," said Chase looking at her, licking his lips.

"Who is that twerp behind us?" Rachel said looking in the rearview mirror.

"Oh it must be old four eyes," said Alex. "Well don't let her catch us!"

Rachel sped up, flinging sand everywhere. Millicent couldn't see and had to stop the car. "Wait!" she cried. "Where are you going?"

"Bye bye, birdie!" Rachel yelled, cigarette hanging out of her mouth now.

"Wait for me! Wait!" Millicent yelled. That's just what she needed, to lose he friends on a trip that wasn't supposed to happen.

Meanwhile, at the carnival, Pudge, Jake, Nathan, and Haley had arrived. They walked around looking for the best rides and Haley felt Nathan put his arm around her waist. She spun around, pulling herself away. "Are you going to behave?" she said.

"I'm sorry," Nathan said throwing up his arms like he was caught. "I'm sorry. I won't touch you again."

That seemed enough for her, because she walked right back beside him again. Nathan paid for them to ride the Hustler and they settled into the car and buckled up. "This isn't scary, is it?" Haley asked.

"No, you'll be fine," replied Nathan.

Pudge and Jake were on the carousel. Jake had won a very large green dog from the milk bottles. "We gotta give this thing a name," he said.

"Greenie?" said Pudge who was never really good at naming things.

"Like Herman or something," Jake said.

"Herman?" Pudge laughed.

"You can shag with him, because I can't," said Jake handing her the dog.

"No," she said laughing.

"If anybody I know sees me riding this I'm going to be so embarrassed."

"This is Jake Jigelski!" Pudge yelled standing up. "Jake Jigelski!"

"Stop, stop!" he said trying to over her mouth with his hand. Both of them laughing. "Be quiet."

Nathan and Haley's ride had started and was speeding up now. Nathan was fine and having fun, but Haley wasn't used to rides and it was going too fast and spinning too wildly. She had her head in his lap, her eyes closed , hoping it would be over soon. He just patted her head and said, "Oh this is the most fun," with a smile in his voice.

"Ah, Wilmington, Delaware," said Jake looking at the bottom of his Coke bottle.

"One time I got Hartford, Connecticut," said Pudge.

"You did not."

"Uh huh, have you ever been up north?" Pudge took a sip of her soda.

"Nah I haven't. Nathan's going to go to Yale though," said Jake.

"I'm a Christian," Brooke whined as Chase tried to pry her out of her clothes. "Stop! I swear I think you're really nice, but it's against my religion."

"I think you're nice too. Don't act like a school girl," said Chase. He didn't come here to just make out. He wanted action.

Then a light shone through the back window of the car and Rachel opened up the door. "Boho son of a bitch!" she said to him.

"Rachel, what in the hell are you doing?" Chase yelled.

"Come here you hussy!" she said pulling Brooke out of the car by her hair.

"What are you doing?" Chase yelled. "She attacked me!"

"You thought you could just waltz right into town and take over?" said Rachel.

Alex shook up her two cans of shaving cream and ran over to the car spraying everything and even Chase as he climbed back into the driver's seat.

"Don't get that crap all over my car!" he yelled angrily. "Alex would you quit?" And he sped off.

"Alex come over here and help me out!" Rachel yelled. She had Brooke pressed up against the front of the car. Brooke was struggling, but Rachel had her knees on her legs and was holding her face.

"Let me go!" Brooke yelled.

Alex ran over and started pouring whisky down Brooke's throat while Rachel held her nose so she had to open her mouth. Then Alex sprayed shaving cream all over her while Rachel covered her in toilet paper. "Ya having fun now? Huh, babydoll?"

"Doesn't she look lovely?" Rachel asked.

"I'll kill you!" Brooke yelled, half drunk.

"Oh, this is the most fun!" Alex said.

Pudge, Jake, Nathan, and Haley left the carnival and were now at the drive-in diner. Waitresses sped past them on roller skates and they had their dinner spread out over the hood of the car. Music was playing and people were dancing and shagging all over the place. Pudge could get used to this.

Haley came out of the diner bathroom a little queasy and light-headed and rejoined her friends.

"-and then he goes to the bar," said Nathan who was telling Pudge and Jake about a movie he'd seen. "He looks around and he sees the same girl. It's eight o'clock in the morning and this girl's got a drink in her fist."

"Are you okay sugar?" Pudge asked as Haley sat down on the bumper of the car.

"I'm fine," Haley said shortly.

"Now this girl is very cool," continued Nathan. "She's got this quality, you know, like," and he looked at Haley, "like she's better than him." He turns back to Pudge and Jake. "So they shoot the breeze and she says to him 'I'm the emancipated type. Real emancipated'. And the guy says, 'How about I get us a bottle?' She says no. He says 'You have a scotch.' She says 'What do you want me to do just step out into the alley, is that it?'"

Haley rolled her eyes at the "free love" comment. She didn't see any point in sex before marriage, but apparently that's all Nathan thought about.

"And they're at the door," said Nathan, "and she says, 'Why me?' Oh and I forgot to tell you she's got a limp. You don't really notice it until she steps up to the bar."

"She has a limp?" Pudge asked.

"Yeah, but she's got this quality," and he looked at Haley, "this sex quality. The limp doesn't really matter. So Newman just starts making out with her against the door." At that moment Nathan pushed himself up close to Haley but she pushed him away. "She pushes him off and says, 'You're too hungry.' Newman takes the bottle, slips it under her arm, and just walks away."

There was a brief pause where no one said anything and it was a little awkward. Pudge and Jake looked at each other. "You-you want some more fries," said Jake.

"Yeah," said Pudge. "I-I'll go with you." And they left the two sitting there.

"I take it you didn't like the Hustler?" said Nathan.

"I wasn't allowed to see that picture show," Haley said, referring to the movie he was just quoting.

"Look. I'm sorry I made you go on that ride. I didn't know you were going to throw up."

Haley smiled and giggled nervously. "I accept your apology." There was another awkward pause where they both watched the people around them.

"And I'm sorry I got fresh with you too," he said. "I mean it. You must be fed up with guys falling all over you all the time. You're so pretty."

Haley smiled, and thought about it. Guys didn't really fall all over her all the time. Just Lucas, and he wasn't like Nathan at all. He was quiet, more reserved, cranky, most of the time.

"Actually," Haley said scratching at her neck. "I've never really dated anyone. Except for Lucas, my fiancé. I guess I'm just not used to-. Well, Lucas is very, uh, level-headed."

"Well," said Nathan. "That's important."

"Yes," said Haley. "It is." She reached for the bun of her burger, picking at it just to give herself something to do. "I'm a very lucky girl." But she said it more to herself than to him. She took a very small bite of the bread because her stomach still felt strange.

"You know," Nathan said, "In my opinion, marriage is just a legal form of prostitution."

At this, Haley choked on the very tiny piece of bread she'd just swallowed and coughed a bit.

"Who will all our sorrows bear?" Brooke sang to herself in the dark, alone. Rachel and Alex had left her at Weewap Point. And a car came driving up, the first one in an hour. "Jesus knows our every weakness."

"Brooke?" said Millicent from the car. But Brooke was too drunk and cold and scared.

"Daddy?" she asked.

Back at the diner, someone cranked up the jukebox and people really started getting into the music.

"Come on," Pudge pleaded.

"I'm really not any good," said Jake.

"Just try it." And she dragged him over closer to the music.

"I can't. Look everybody's gonna look at me."

"Nobody's looking at you!"

"You are."

"Try it."

"You're so much better than me." He looked over at a couple who was shagging very well and shook his head. Pudge moved in on him, but he turned around and grabbed a red pole behind him.

"Jake Jigelski, if you don't shag with me, then I'm going to ask somebody else."

"Get away from me," he said, smiling.

"Okay, I'm going," and she walked away.

"Okay," he turned around and grabbed her arms. Ready.

"Ready? Okay, get into it. Relax." And they went, but they took two steps before he flaked out.

"See look, I can't do this."

"Just dance!" Pudge whined. "Come on." And they managed to begin again. Everyone was dancing up a storm. "One and two, three, four, five and six, there you go!"

But Nathan and Haley were arguing, well, Haley was arguing, Nathan was amused at how angry she was.

"You're not like anybody I've ever met," she said, her arms crossed on one side of the car, him on the other.

"Well you are like every girl I've ever met. You're stuck up, tight-assed, and conventional."

Haley gasped. "Don't you swear in front of me!" she said. "Maybe I don't believe in practicing free love. Who does?"

"I do."

Haley looked over at Pudge and Jake dancing. Jake was getting pretty good. And Pudge thought he was a natural. "You know what, Jake?" she said.

"What?"

"You're full of shit." And he spun her around a few times. "This is the most fun."

"I don't think we should talk anymore," Haley said as she turned away from Nathan and crossed her arms.

"Fine," he said standing right beside her. "We won't talk anymore." Haley looked over and when she turned back his way, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She was dumbfounded at first, but pulled away, looking at him with amazement. Did he really just do that? She'd only known him maybe three hours. She turned away; bringing her fingers to her mouth to make sure it was still there, because it was tingling. "Just came here to play pool, fats," he said.

At the Huxtable house, Brooke was in the bathtub, wet toilet paper and shaving cream everywhere, while Millicent stood behind her and washed her hair.

"They left me like a dog on that highway," Brooke said.

"Brooke, you know better than to go off with trash like Chase Adams."

"I'm gonna show those girls. Oh will you look at my nails. What's Chris Keller gonna think?"

"Chris Keller?" Millicent said annoyed.

"He's judging Miss Sun Queen contest tomorrow."

Millicent rolled her eyes and dunked Brooke under the bath water to get the shampoo out of her hair.


	5. Falling

Chapter 5: Falling

"Well you tell them to carry you back home right this minute," Lucas said that night on the phone. Haley sat at the bottom of the stairs while the three girls were all asleep upstairs.

"Lucas don't be mad about Myrtle Beach," she said. "They had a change in plans." Haley sat back, listening to Lucas talk. "No I'm not drunk. I only had half a beer… a beer and a half."

"You want to stay?" Lucas ask as if it were the most unimaginable thing in the world.

"I don't- I don't know. I'm just so confused. They were acting so crazy."

"Where was Millicent all this time?" Lucas asked. She was the responsible one.

"We all just ate some hamburgers Lucas. Nothing happened." She realized she'd just given him cause for concern and then added quickly, "I just wanted to let you know I was okay. I love you, bye." And she hung up the phone fast; faster than he could convince her to come home, because in all honesty, she really wanted to stay.

The next morning, Pudge poured herself some cereal, in her nightgown, curlers in her hair, and sat down to the table to eat. She heard banging on the window behind her and turned to see Herman the green stuffed dog at the window. Her eyes grew wide at the thought of Jake seeing her like this, and she ducked under the table.

The back door opened and he walked in. "Pudge?" he asked, confused. She wiped off zit cream, took out her curlers and hopped back up, using the tablecloth to shield him from seeing her in her nightgown.

"Jake!" she cried with a smile.

"Hi, morning," he said smiling, records in his hand.

"Hi," she said sweetly.

"Oh," he said. "I hope I'm not too early."

"No," she said. "Why no." In fact, she was so happy to see him.

In Haley's room, Nathan stood over her, fishing reel in his hand, lure hanging down over her face. He tickled her face with it and she swatted it away, still half asleep. He did it again, and she swatted and scratched her face where it had been. He did it again and she swatted, and looked up. Seeing him startled her and she screamed and threw the covers over her face.

"Get out!" she yelled. "Get out!"

"Don't you want to go fishing? It's fun."

She peeked over the covers. "Like I'd really go fishing with you, Nathan Scott."

Nathan had Binky on his hand and was waving at her. She sat up and got serious. "Look, I hope you know that nothing is going to happen between us."

"Well I'm glad you said something first," Nathan was equally as serious. "I think that we should just be friends." It caught Haley off guard, but she smiled and told him she'd meet him downstairs in a few minutes.

Brooke, in an effort to claim the Miss Sun Queen title, as practicing her dance, in her polka-dot bikini with a confederate flag to _Dixie Land_. Her moves were really cheap and hussy-like, but they worked and she knew she would win. Right near the end of her practice, Millicent barged into the room and turned off the record. "What do you think you are doing?" she cried.

"Practicing my talent for Miss Sun Queen. I think I'm gonna win."

While Brooke was practicing, so were Jake and Pudge. Pudge had tied her dancing cord up and she was counting steps while Jake danced. "One and two, three and four, five, six, seven, eight." Jake did the steps, glided his foot, and then went to turn, but pulled too hard and the cord came undone, sending him down to the floor with a bump.

Pudge giggled. "Are you okay?" And he threw the cord at her. She laughed some more.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Millicent was instructing Brooke how to properly win Miss Sun Queen. She had her practicing Scarlet O'Hara's famous speech from _Gone With the Wind_, but she just wasn't getting it.

"Brooke, Brooke," she said. "This is a very famous speech. I did it for Maid of Cotton, remember when I won? Haley did it for Junior Miss, 'course she lost, but if you don't get the words right, the judges are gonna know."

"I still think I'm better off with modern ballet," said Brooke heading over to the couch.

"Modern ballet is trashy looking." Millicent said as Brooke tried to sit down. "The couch! The couch!" And Brooke stood back up, throwing her arms in protest.

And still, in the kitchen Pudge and Jake were dancing now, better than ever. Jake was really getting the steps and thoroughly enjoying it. "Jake, you and me ought to be on American Bandstand."

"Nah, I think you have to be Italian."

In the bedroom, Millicent was helping Brooke decide what to wear and Millicent wanted anything but the bikini. "Now, what would Scarlet O'Hara think of you doing _As God Is My Witness_ in a polka-dot bikini? Now, you'll wear my mama's hoop skirt," she said happily and presented a hoop-skirt to Brooke. Brooke looked down at the thing, made a face and walked away.

"I know how to win this thing," she said haughtily.

"It is bad manners to think about winning."

"Look!" Brooke yelled, but unintentially. "I'm not going to college like some people, and I'm sure as hell not marrying any damn Roe. And I ain't gonna die in a parish house in Spartanburg, South Carolina, thank you. Milly, I'm as pretty as any of those girls in Hollywood. This is my chance. Chris Keller's going to discover me today, and it ain't gonna be in your mama's hoop skirt."

Millicent looked down, beaten, knowing that even though it was cheap, the judges would be looking at girls' bodies. She looked back up at Brooke slowly. "Would you at least consider wearing my one piece bathing suit?"

Around lunchtime, Pudge and Jake found themselves at the beach, laying in the sun and soaking up rays. Pudge laid out on the towel while everyone around them talked, played volleyball and swam. Jake read from a magazine aloud.

"Experience speaks out. Is the twist dangerous?" he read. "This reader writes, 'I threw out my hip doing the twist and was in the hospital. My parents have banned the twist forever.'"

Pudge giggled. "What a doofus." She laid back and closed her eyes.

"Are you experienced?" she heard Jake say. She looked over and he was reading from a piece of notebook paper. It was the test. The funny one that girls gave each other just to see how far they'd gone. And she was more than embarrassed that he'd found it. Then she remembered, it had been in that same magazine. How stupid she was to let him read from it!

"Have you ever been naked with a boy in a swimming pool?" he read.

"Don't read that!" Pudge yelled and grabbed for it.

"Have you ever petted a cuff, front seat or back?"

"Don't read that!"

"What is this?"

"It's just a joke, don't!"

"Have you ever kissed for more than twenty minutes without stopping?" He turned to look at her. "Have you?"

Down at the pond dock, Nathan took Haley fishing, only he was doing more of the fishing and she was doing more of the talking. She was going on and on about her fiancé Lucas. It was his fault, he supposed, asking her about him, but he didn't think she'd go on this long. Shame on him for telling her he just wanted to be friends.

"Then he finished up at Carolina and his daddy put him right in the front office. Guess it's kind of expected by his family. I mean Roe, you just naturally think tobacco. He's already got some ideas about improving filter tips." She paused to see if he'd respond. When he didn't she asked, "What about you? What are your plans?"

"Figured I'd bum around Italy somewhere, look at statues and pick up women."

"That's a lofty aspiration."

"Damn better than manufacturing cigarettes for your daddy," he mocked.

"At least Lucas is doing something with his life."

"Lucas is a trained seal," he replied pulling off his shirt. It was soaked with sweat and the sun was beating down making him even hotter. "I don't care how rich he is, I don't think you're going to marry him."

Haley was taken aback, never in her life had she been spoken to like that. "You are the rudest person I have ever met," she said looking away.

"Well that's probably true," he said grabbing a beer out of the cooler. "Beevo?"

"I don't drink in the middle of the day," she replied curtly.

"Well you sure have a lot of rules for yourself, don't you Haley?" He took a nice long sip of the cold drink. Haley looked at his body, tanned, toned, and covered in sweat. For a moment, just one moment she wanted to reach out and touch him, but she forced that thought out of her mind.

"Would you kindly put your shirt back on," she said.

He looked up and smiled, "No."

"Number nine," Jake said. "Have you ever kissed at a party with a boy you didn't know?"

Pudge, whose face was covered by a towel softly said, "No."

"Ten, have you ever been to second base on a which number date?"

"No." Her voice was muffled by the towel.

"No?"

"No!" Pudge cried and pushed the towel off her face and at him.

"Why not?" he asked, smiling.

"Boys don't think about me like that," she said sadly and looked anywhere but at him. When he didn't say anything, she looked back at him.

"Eleven," he said quickly. "Have you ever said 'I love you' to a boy?" She shook her head no.

Nathan walked over to where Haley was sitting and sat down at her feet. He held up a bottle of sunscreen. "Rub a little on my back, would you?"

She hesitated, not wanting to accidentally touch his hand, not wanted to touch him. She wasn't sure she wanted to, and wasn't sure if she could handle it if she did.

He turned and looked at her. "Haley, have I laid a finger on you today?"

"No," she replied quietly. Nathan took her hand, squirted some sunscreen into it and then lifted it over his head and onto his back.

She softly and quickly rubbed it in, only on the top of this back and shoulders, using only her fingertips.

"Mmm," he said. "You have a nice touch, Haley."

She rolled her eyes and rubbed the excess sun block on her hands. "Why'd you say I'm not gonna marry Lucas?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Why?"

He looked back at her. "Because you'll deny it."

She stared at him for a moment and then said, "If you think I'd ever be interested in someone like you, you're wrong."

"So marry Lucas," he said.

"Seventeen," Pudge said. Jake's face was covered up with a towel and he'd said yes to almost every question so far. "Have you ever been frenched in the ear?"

"Yes," was his reply, again.

"Eighteen, have you ever frenched a girl in the ear?"

"Yes."

Pudge couldn't believe it. "My God, Jake, who'd you do all this with?" But she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Nobody!" he said. "Just this girl Nikki." Pudge gave him a look. "The only reason why I did it is because she only went out with me because she had the hots for Nathan."

"Huh," Pudge said, unconvinced.

"No, it's true," Jake said. "She wanted me to tell Nathan she was fast."

"And did you tell him?"

"No," Jake smiled, ashamed.

"No?" Pudge smiled. "You didn't tell him?" She laughed.

"No," Jake smiled wider and laughed a little. Jake looked back up and saw her smile. He smiled again. "What's your real name?" he asked.

"Pudge," she replied.

"No, you're real name."

"It's horrible," she said looking away. But she could see he wasn't letting up. She looked back at him. "Peyton," she said.

"That's pretty," he said giving her a small tap on the arm. She didn't think she could smile any bigger than she did at that moment.

Nathan looked down, Haley had the pole in her hand, but she'd cut herself on the fishing line. Now she had her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding. He put his pole down and sat down beside her. He cut the line with his teeth and set her pole down. She looked so cute sitting her, finger in her mouth, kid-like expression on her face. Her body was pulled as far from him as would allow, but he leaned in closer.

"I'm ready," Jake said, looking into Pudge's eyes.

"Have you ever gone all the way?" she asked.

"Not yet," he replied.

Nathan took Haley's finger and looked at it. It was fine and he looked up into her eyes and was surprised and pleased she didn't look away. This was it. He had her. He knew she'd come around. He could feel himself leaning in, Haley was getting closer and closer. He looked down at her lips, perfect and pink. And he did what any boy would do. He waited until the right moment and then he felt it. Their lips touched. He half expected her to push him away, but was pleased when she didn't. He lifted his hand up to her face, perfect and soft. He ran fingers through her brown hair and she kissed him back, delicate and sweet. And eventually her arms found their way around his neck.


	6. Miss Sun Queen

Chapter 6: Miss Sun Queen

At the Miss Sun Queen contest, the girls were all backstage getting ready and they all heard the audience screaming outside, which meant that Chris Keller had arrived and was taking his spot in the judge's seat behind the stage. The stage had been set up on the sand and the audience spread out in all different directions. Brooke walked into the backstage area that was separated by a curtain in her flowered cover-up. She did _not_ want anyone seeing her in Millicent's bathing suit. She wished she'd never even agreed to wear it. She'd done her hair and makeup and thought the only thing that made her look good was her face. She desperately wanted her bikini.

When the girls saw her, Millicent ran over and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to the vanity reserved for her. Haley and Pudge were going through the makeup.

"Don't you think Brooke is the cutest girl here, ya'll?"

"Yes!"

"Of course!" the girls cried.

"Chris Keller's going to flake out!" Haley said.

"He's going to fall in love with you," said Pudge.

"I want my bikini," Brooke said "I want-." But she couldn't finish because she'd turned around to see what the girls were looking at. In the doorway stood Alex, hair held up by a beautiful clip, star earring in her ears, and a red and blue confederate flag bikini. Her body was better than Brooke could have imagined, and now she really _really_ wanted her bikini. Alex walked over, looked Brooke up and down and shook her head before walking over to a laughing Rachel who was waiting at the vanity. "Take me home right now," Brooke said. "I have to get my bikini."

"No, Brooke, no!" Millicent said.

"I look like a joke!" Brooke took off her cover up and threw it on the ground, revealing the "sailor" bikini Millicent had lent her. It covered up everything from her chest to her thighs because of the stupid skirt that it had at the bottom. It even had a draped knot that hung right at her breasts so even those couldn't be shown properly.

"Now, Brooke listen to me," Millicent said.

"You've just got butterflies," Haley said at the same time.

"Remember what they told us at Maid of Cotton?" Millicent asked. "Others may cheapen themselves," she looked right at Alex. "But you, Brooke. You are a flower of the south."

That seemed to be alright with Brooke, and the fact that she didn't have time to run home and be back before the girls went onstage. The three others went to take their places in the audience and the crew called for the girls to line up.

They all went out, parading around, all the girls in bikinis, all except for Brooke. But she smiled big, and strutted her stuff and ferociously looked at Chris Keller, who was more beautiful than the heavens, sitting there in his chair, checking out the girls.

The first girl to show off her talent sang "Swannee River" and wasn't good at all. Brooke could see Chris Keller flinch a few times. No way would she make it. The next few girls went and then it was Alex's turn. Brooke almost cried she was so mad when the record started playing _Dixieland_. Alex's dance was great, every guy's eye was on her, and every girl was jealous of her. Brooke glanced at Chris Keller who was entranced by her dancing.

It was Brooke's turn next, Alex waved to the audience and came off the stage smiling a big mocking smile. How could Brooke follow that act? But she held her head high and walked onstage. "Hi," she said to the judges. "My name is Brooke Davis, and I'm eighteen, and my talent is, dramatic interpretation."

She got ready. "Yankees in Tara? Well I won't think about that now. As God is my witness, as God is my witness. They're not gonna lick me," she looked over at Alex, "yet. As God is my witness, if I have to lie or steal or cheat or kill, I'll never be hungry again." Really dramatically she got down, rubbed the potato that she had on the ground and then took a bite, crying. The crowd cheered and she looked up and saw Chris Keller smiling, clearly impressed, but his manager didn't look impressed at all.

Her friends were on the side cheering and clapping. "Yay Brooke!" Haley yelled. And Pudge turned around to hug Jake, then looked embarrassed at what she'd just done, but they both smiled and shook it off.

Then Haley's face fell. "Oh my God, Lucas."

"What?" Millicent said. "Where?"  
"There," she pointed and there he was, walking up through the crowd, looking for her, wearing a suit, only the jacket he was draping over his shoulder as he walked.

"Quick, quick," Haley said grabbing Nathan's arm. "Let's go."

"What's he doing here?" Millicent asked.

"Before he sees us!" Haley said, she was trying to duck down behind them all.

"Lucas!" Millicent yelled, ignoring Haley. "Oh Lucas!" And ran over to get him.

"Millicent! Come back!" she turned to Nathan. "Oh hide me!" And she grabbed him and they made a run for it.

"You're all deserting Brooke!" Pudge yelled after them.

"Who's 'Oh my God, Lucas'?" Jake asked.

"Her fiancé," Pudge replied.

"Holy pajamas," he said.

Millicent had reached Lucas by this time. And she stopped to straighten up her glasses and pearls. He was turned the other way. "Why, Lucas Roe," she said as he turned around. "What are you doing in Myrtle Beach?"

When the contest was over, Brooke walked back into the backstage area where Pudge and Millicent were waiting, Haley and Nathan long gone back to the house and gave Millicent the evil eye. "Thanks for all your help, Mil. Couldn't have lost without you."

"Did ya'll let Haley get intoxicated?" Lucas asked. Brooke stopped.

"What the hell are you doing here?" but she didn't really care. "Where are Haley and Nate?"

"Nate?" Lucas said. "Who the hell is Nate?"

"Her uncle," Pudge said.

"The maid," Millicent said at the same time. "Natty, old Natty the maid. You know, Haley had an awful headache. It was throbbing and pounding. So I guess Brooke called Natty to carry Haley back to the house." She turned around and glared at Brooke. "Right, Brooke?"

"Come on," Brooke said.

"Okay," Lucas said. "So let's go to the house."

"No!" Millicent yelled. "Let's go to Eddie's and get some ice cream first!"

At that moment Chris Keller walked by, his manager and Alex behind him. She had the winner's flowers in her hand and the crown on her head. "Now, you can put your arm around him," the manager said, "but not below the waist. I know, you're not that kind of girl, right?" As Alex went to sign the paper, she looked over at Brooke and smiled slyly.

"There goes my dream date with Chris Keller, Milly," Brooke said. "Mil, you and Pudge quick run over and tell Chris Keller to come back to the house with us."

"Are you crazy?" Pudge asked. "Tell him?"

"Tell him your daddy the senator wants him to sing at the White House. Quick before that slut gets in the car."

"I am not going to do any such thing," Millicent said.

"Millicent, damnit," Brooke said shaking her. "You made me lose Miss Sun Queen, now I'm not gonna lose Chris Keller too, now you owe it to me. And you better get over there quick. Or we're never gonna speak to you again. Right Pudge?"

Pudge looked panicked. "Right," she said with a pleading look on her face for Millicent to do it.

Millicent sighed and ran over, Pudge and Jake behind her. Girls covered the car, the windows were open and they were trying so hard to get in. Their hands outstretched trying to touch him. Jake, Pudge, and Millicent pushed then all away while the girls then pulled back.

"Do you mind, I am a nurse and this is an emergency. Excuse me. Hi! Chris Keller, I am pleased to meet you. I'm Millicent Huxtable, and my daddy Senator Beauford S. Huxtable asked me to cordially like to invite you over to the house for a cocktail with the family, right now."

Chris was sitting, his jegs up on the seat of the car, knees pressed against his chest, almost like he was afraid of all the girls, very different from how he acting outside, as if he were so accustomed to girls girls girls all the time. "Uh," he said. "I can't. I'm supposed to do this promotional thing."

"Well it's gonna be a great party," Pudge said improvisingly. "Everybody's gonna be shagging." Millicent looked at her, mouth agape.

"Yeah, beach music," Jake added.

"My manager's like a priest, man. You think I get to go to parties?" Chris asked. He paused and looked out the window. "Will there be like, girls at this party?"

"Girls?" Jake said. "This is the grand-strand, Myrtle Beach."

"Wild!"

"Wild? Wild." Jake said looking at Pudge.

"Well, the thing is, it isn't a party," Millicent said.

"Well, there'll be a band and everything," Jake said.

"Are you sure you can't come?" Pudge asked.

Pudge and Jake got back to the house before Millicent, Lucas, and Chris Keller. Immediately, she ran upstairs to find Nathan and Haley. Haley was packing up her suitcase.

"Haley, ya'll aren't eloping?" Pudge said, worried.

"I'm going back to Spartanburg, tonight, with Lucas," said Haley.

"Lucas is so square he's got corners," Brooke said coming out of the bathroom and putting on Mrs. Huxtable's robe. "What's wrong with Nate? He's a sweet potato." Nathan smiled.

Honk honk.

"They're here," Pudge said. Brooke ran over to the window.

"Haley, quick," she said. "Tell some Chris Keller things, favorite color? Favorite perfume?"

"Chris Keller's not down there, is he?"

"Lucas and Millicent have got him," Pudge said.

"Red, blue?" Brooke asked.

"Chris Keller is in this house?"

Brooke turned around and took her by the shoulders. "So is Lucas," she said gravely.

"Blue, it's definitely blue," Pudge said.

"Pudge, you go downstairs and get Chris Keller a drink," and she smiled and ran off into Mr. and Mrs. Huxtable's room.

After Pudge and Brooke had left, Haley walked over, closed her suitcase and then sat down, her head in her hands. Nathan came over and sat down next to her.

"Nathan," she said looking at him. "I can't bring myself to hurt a decent, God-fearing boy like Lucas Roe." Nathan reached up and brushed back a piece of hair behind her ear. His touch made her dizzy. Then she heard Lucas's voice downstairs and her eyes grew wide. She suddenly realized that she didn't want to go with him. She couldn't go with him.

"She could be asleep, Lucas," Millicent said, extra loudly so that Haley had warning.

Haley got up and went out into the hallway. Lucas was coming up the stairs. He stopped and looked over. "Which room, Millicent?" he asked. Haley pulled Nathan along quickly but quietly and they managed to slip down the other set of stairs that let out in the kitchen by the back door.

"I don't know," she replied. "Call her, Lucas."

"Sugar pie?" he called.

Pudge and Jake sat on the couch as Chris Keller looked around the living room. He picked up a picture of Millicent when she was little and laughed a little, they guessed at her glasses.

"The senator," Millicent said coming in with a tray of drinks, "regrets that he has been detained by a very important phone call," she said. "I think it's the first lady, herself. Lemonade?"

"Nah," he said. "Scotch and water would be great."

Millicent turned around. _No way_ she mouthed to Pudge and Jake.

_Go get him a drink!_ Pudge mouthed back.

"Man," Chris said looking up at a Marlin mounted on the wall. "Look at that fish. Look at the expression in his… eye." He stroked the long nose sympathetically. "He knows it's over."

Jake and Pudge looked at each other, like Chris was crazy.

"I dig parties the most," he said. "Oww!" And he went down in a halfway split. Then he looked back up suddenly, "When's the band get here?"

Nathan and Haley had gone to the docks and were walking, hand in hand, down the dock looking at all the boats. Nathan stopped when he saw a flag hanging from the top of one yacht. It read "Huxtable". The boat was called _Daddy's Little Girl_. He looked over at Haley who nodded and then walked onto the boat.


	7. Party Time

Chapter 7: Party Time

Back at the house, Millicent was on the phone, Lucas was coming down the stairs from searching, and Jake and Pudge were tango-ing around the house just for fun.

"There's no answer at Haley's house," Millicent said.

"Well then I'm calling the police," Lucas said reaching for the phone.

"No! There's no need to call the police," Millicent said.

"Um, she took the bus back to Spartanburg," Pudge said, completely making it up. "She wouldn't be there yet. She missed you so much she just jumped right on that bus and went home."

They could all hear Chris Keller _trying_ to sing from the living room. And Jake picked up Mr. Huxtable's binoculars and was looking at Pudge through them, making her laugh. Millicent snatched them away.

"She went all the day back to Spartanburg on a bus!" Lucas yelled. "In the middle of the night, unescorted?"

"She could have gone for a swim," Millicent said.

"A swim?" Lucas was outraged now.

Jake went into the living room to check on Chris who was singing and dancing along with Elvis on the record player. "I saw you in, um. You were great in… that movie," he said trying to make conversation.

"Elvis is over man," Chris said holding up the album cover. "I mean look at that face, he's desperate." He picked up his scotch and took a sip. "I don't get to do jack shit man. Like this is the first real party that I've ever been to."

Jake looked around nervously. What party?

"So," Chris said pulling Jake into a headlock and giving him a noogie. "What I want to know cool daddy, is where are all the girls?"

At that moment Brooke came down the stairs and into the living room, wearing a beautiful gold outfit that was skin-tight and left little up to the imagination.

"I'm terribly sorry I'm late," she said.

"Those are my mother's clothes," Millicent said to Lucas, in awe that Brooke would do such a thing.

"Does anybody feel like dancing?" Brooke asked, flirting.

Chris looked at her, eyebrows raised. "She'll do," he said and dropped Jake on the ground, running over to dance with her.

After twenty minutes or so, Jake and Pudge were dancing also, a medium song on the record player, they were shagging.

"Jake, why did you lie?" Pudge asked.

"About what?" he said defensively.

"You can shag," she said.

"Yeah," he said. "But I never liked it until now." Pudge smiled, blushing. "Hey, what would you say if I asked you a question?"

"What kind of question?" Pudge said as they stopped dancing and got a little closer.

"You want to go on that shag contest with me tomorrow?" Her face fell a little. "You know cause I'm not good enough, right? That's okay, I just thought-."

"No," she said. "I just thought you were going to ask me something else."

"Like what?"

Millicent walked by at the second with lemonade for Lucas. "Hey," she said. "Don't you worry about Haley one bit. She's fine. I'm sure it's just nerves. I'd be nervous too if I was about to marry you." Lucas looked up and Millicent blushed, not believing what she'd just said. But she stood tall and bravely took his hand and they started to dance.

On the other side of the room, Brooke danced with Chris, her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, taking in his "stardom". But he yawned a little and then pulled back. "Listen you mind if I split? Like, I've seen bigger parties in a telephone booth. I need action baby. I dig it the most."

Brooke looked at him, horrified at the thought of him leaving. She ran over to Jake. "We've gotta get some people over here. Don't you have any friends?"

Less than thirty minutes later, dozens of people were pouring into the house, to Millicent's dismay. They had kegs and containers and ice and drinks. Brooke was in heaven, so was Chris Keller. Pudge and Jake were having a good time too, but Millicent and Lucas were not.

Some people set the large tub down and everyone started pouring any and all liquor that they had into the tub making the largest cocktail anyone had ever seen. Liquors of all brands, types, and colors went into the tub. And people started filling their cups up with it.

"Get out!" Millicent said. "Get out of my house." But no one was listening, they were dancing along to the music that had been turned all the way up. Then, someone who was already drunk picked up Jake and was spinning him around.

"Put him down!" A helpless Pudge yelled. "You'll break him!"

More and more and more people started piling into the house. Then someone picked Millicent up and started spinning her around. She screamed and screamed. Over at the "party tub" people were going and going after all the liquor, when finally, the creep from the night before who'd danced with Millicent just took a straw and stuck it right in, slurping it all up. People were picking up the furniture and carrying it out into the yard to make room for all the dancing. And Lucas tried to stop them, but they weren't listening.

"Lucas what am I gonna do?" Millicent cried. He pried her away from the arms of some guy.

"You want me to call the police?"

"No, no, no, they'll tell my daddy, please don't call the police." Then Millicent looked over and saw Brooke and Chris dancing on top of the coffee table. And then behind them were too girls and a guy jumping on the couch. "Get down!" she yelled. "Get down!" But they wouldn't. And she couldn't just push them off. "At least take off your shoes!" she pleaded. "Take them off!" The three did take off their shoes, but Millicent had to do that for them while they were jumping. But the guy took off his shoe and threw it at the Marlin on the wall, knocking it to the floor.

On the coffee table, Chris and Brooke were pressed together, him going at her neck, her arms wrapped around him. "I can't believe I'm making out with Chris Keller," she said.

"Are these your friends?" Pudge asked Jake.

"Um," he said looking around. "Well I know that guy, no. Well I know- no. Only one of them." Then someone stepped on Pudge's foot and she spilled her drink.

"Ow," she said.

Millicent walked into the living room and could see Rachel and Alex trying to get in through a window. "Oh my good Lord!" she yelled. "Brooke!" Brooke ran over with her. Rachel's foot and leg were already in the window and Alex was on the other side peeking in for Chris Keller. Millicent took Rachel's high heel off her foot and started hitting her leg with it. Rachel screamed and Brooke pushed down the window. Rachel pulled her foot back and Brooke locked the window and then went to the door with Millicent who threw the shoe out and ended up hitting a guy in the head. "Oh honey, I am so sorry!" She and Brooke laughed and headed back to the party.

Millicent walked in to find Lucas picking up a picture of Millicent whenshe was little and wiping off the alcohol, setting it back on the mantel. "Thank you, Lucas."

Pudge and Jake had settled into a table that people where dancing on top of. Spilled alcohol was soaked into the doilies and it was dripping down. They were catching it in their glasses and drinking through straws.

"It's raining," Pudge said.

"Nathan says you get drunk a lot faster if you drink through a straw," Jake said. He reached on the other side of the table and grabbed a chip from the ground. "Potato chip?"

"No," Pudge said. Then Jake slurped up beer in his straw and looked over at her and spit it all over her face. "Hey!" she cried.

"I'm sorry," Jake said laughing.

"Nice trick, what else can you do?"

Then, in a voice like Bullwinkle's, he said, "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat."

Pudge laughed. "Do it again."

"Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat."

Outside, pissed that they couldn't get in, Alex and Rachel were TP-ing the Huxtable house. There was toilet paper hanging from all the trees and they were doing all the cars too. Anything they could.

"Alright, alright," Rachel said. "This one's for you, four eyes!" And she threw the toilet paper roll up over the tree. People upstairs laughed and laughed, too drunk to comprehend, or just not caring whatsoever. "Damn rich bitches!"

In the hallway, guys had put beer on the floor and were now slipping and sliding down the hardwood floor and into the "party tub" for liquor.

"You are ruining the floor!" Millicent yelled over their cheering. She was trying hard not to slip on the slippery floor. "Now, get out!" A shirtless guy grabbed her and she tried to pull away, but he was too strong. She beat on his chest, but it just made him feel like Tarzan and he yelled. Then they both slipped and she fell right into the "party tub". She tried to protest, but no one was listening. "Oh what the hell?" she yelled and grabbed a cup, got some alcohol and knocked it back.

She got up and saw Lucas being stripped by three girls. They'd taken his coat and his tie and gotten his first two buttons undone. She walked over, drunk already, and he must have been too because he wasn't caring anymore. And she pulled him away, dancing with him while the girls found someone else to undress.

After a while, Millicent looked up to see she and Lucas were the only ones left in the room. Some people were passed out in other rooms, some on the couches in the front yard. But she didn't care. She was dancing with Lucas. "Millicent," he said looking into her eyes. "Your eyes are really beautiful." She smiled.

Upstairs, Jake and Pudge were sitting in the tub together, fully clothed but not caring. She was wiping some vomit off of his shoe with a wet wash cloth. And he was absent-mindedly washing her leg with soap. She noticed, but she didn't care. She liked it.

"Did you know that I'm going off to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis in a couple of days?" Jake asked.

"No," Pudge said, alarmed. So soon?

"Yeah. I'm gonna be a marine."

Pudge looked down, not wanting him to see the sadness in her eyes.

"Anyway, I was really hoping I would fall in love with a girl this summer so that I would have someone to write to."

"Aww, Jake," Pudge said smiling.

"I mean, you know what I've just realized, I don't have to fall in love with anyone, I can just write to you." Pudge's face fell, but Jake didn't see it because he looked down at his hands and played with the water. "I mean it's not like writing to no girl or nothing. With you I can really be myself and I don't have to worry what you'll think of me." Pudge looked away, hurt, because she really felt like she was falling in love with him.

On the yacht, Nathan and Haley were making out on the bed. She didn't know what was happening, all she knew was she liked it. And Nathan was just so happy she'd even given him a chance. Nathan reached up and undid a button on her shirt, looking in her eyes. Then another, then another. He waited for a protest, but none came. Finally, he pushed back a side of her shirt and leaned down to kiss the top of one breast. She sighed. They were making out in no time and Haley knew he wanted more. She stopped him and sat up, touching her forehead, she didn't know what to do. She was engaged to be married.

"Nathan, Nathan I can't. It's wrong."

"Well I'm not going to force you," he said, although he was disappointed.

She looked at him. "Nathan," she said, "I can't go around sleeping with every boy that likes me." But then she realized that maybe if she did this, got it out of her system, she could go back to Lucas and be happy.

"Haley, don't you know we'll remember this for the rest of our lives."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just don't tell anyone, okay?" And they both laid back on the bed.

At the house, Lucas was outside looking through a telescope that was usually in the senator's study. He'd seen the yacht and turned to Millicent. "Hey, you wanna go for a little cruise?" She was standing over by a couch that had been brought out on the lawn.

"I can't feel my teeth," she said.

He walked over to her. "Millicent, how come we never hung out before?" He got closer. "Because I think you are really really cool." He leaned in to kiss her, and she to kiss him, but she fell onto the couch right before their lips met and passed out. Then he laid down right next to her and passed out too.


	8. The Cruel Morning After

Chapter 8: The Cruel Morning After

The next morning, Millicent awoke. She was outside, and looking up at trees covered in toilet paper. She couldn't remember a single thing from the previous night except for Chris Keller coming over for cocktails. "Oh! Oh my God! Lucas! Lucas. I think somebody's been here." Lucas woke up and rubbed his eyes. Millicent jumped up and ran into the house to see the damage done.

Inside, she found the Huxtable's summer housekeeper walking around. She was and older, short, heavy black lady with salt and pepper hair, and the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. "What have I seen?" she said.

"Elvira," Millicent said, "W-what are you doing here?"

"I come to open up the house for the senator," she said. "On account of him and your mama are arriving on the noon plane."

Upstairs, in the attic, Brooke woke up on top of Chris Keller. She'd been drooling on him and she pushed herself up and looked out the window. The sun burned her eyes and she heard Millicent yelling "Ya'll get out! Get up, get out!" to the people who'd fallen asleep in the yard. Brooke went to the bathroom and looked at her neck in the mirror, a hickey. Damn! She hated them. She groaned at the sight of it.

Millicent looked for Pudge and Jake everywhere and found them both asleep in the bathtub in her mother and father's bathroom. "I thought it might interest you to know that my parents might be arriving any minute!" she said. She walked over and handed Jake some of her dad's clothes. "Here, now you put these on. Come on now! Go, go, go!"

Downstairs, Elvira was shooing people out of the house and Lucas walked into the kitchen. He stopped her and thinking she was the maid the girls talked about previous he asked, "Are you- are you Nappy?"

"You shut your filthy mouth!" Elvira yelled thinking that was some kind of sex joke. And walked away.

Then, to make matters worse, Chris Keller's manager walked in the door just as Chris was walking down the stairs, still drunk from the night before. He stumbled right into his arms. Brooke following him, a little more sober. "Oh no!" said his manager. "Easy pal," he said.

"I think I'm blind," said Chris.

"Wait!" Brooke yelled. "Here, Chris, here take my number." Chris fell into Brooke's arms. The manager pried them apart.

"Come on, come on, huh?" He opened Chris's mouth. "You see this? Huh? I got ten grand in that mouth. It's beautiful. You ever seen a chin like that? It's like a sculpture, you read me? Singing lessons, the kid has got a wardrobe that makes Liz Taylor look like a cleaning lady." He threw his jacket over Chris's head so no one would see who he was and started for the door. "I'm talking about investment." Then he turned back to Brooke. "So don't think I'm gonna let some Dixie ass parade in here and crap all over my dream!" Then they left.

But instead of being mad, Brooke smiled. She'd just gotten a new dream, and ran upstairs where Pudge was brainstorming ideas and Millicent was cleaning up slash packing.

"I know," Pudge said. "Let's you and me pick them up at the airport."

"You and me are in Fort Sumpter."

Jake bent down and picked up Binky. "Who's is this?" He put it on his hand and made it look like it was hopping around, making sounds.

"Oh my God, Haley!" Millicent said.

At the yacht, Haley lay there next to Nathan, emotions running wild and thoughts pulsating in her brain. She'd done it. She'd done _it_. She couldn't believe it.

"What am I gonna tell Lucas?"

"Tell him you're in love with me," Nathan said.

"No, he'll never believe that. Oh God, I wish Lucas would die. It'd be so much easier." Then she stopped and thought. That was too mean. "I didn't mean that. That's terrible."

"Tell him you're going to college."

"With you," she leaned to him and smiled. She liked the sound of laugh. Nathan smiled and chuckled a little.

"Girls don't go to Yale," he said. "But there's loads of women's colleges around there. See that's how Yale gets around not letting any girls in. All these girls from other schools come over on the weekends. I mean, they don't expect men to go four years without sex."

Haley's brow furrow. Really? Really? She sat up. "So you expect me to go all the way up there to a _Yankee _school just so I can come over every weekend and practice 'free love' with you?"

"Well not every weekend."

She couldn't believe he'd just said that. If he was joking it wasn't funny, and if he was serious then he was just a pig. She gave a yelp and pushed him off the bed.

At the house, Lucas was once again at the telescope, which had been pointed on the yacht all night. He took a peek and saw Nathan walking on the yacht. Although, he had no idea who it was. He turned right around and went inside to find Millicent.

"I can't find them anywhere. Jake where do you think Nathan would go?"

"You better start calling motels." Jake replied.

"Hotels! Oh my God!" Millicent cried. The next moment, Lucas walked in relaying his information.

"If _Daddy's Little Girl_ is your daddy's yacht Millicent, then I think somebody's on it." He said. And then Brooke came into the room as well.

"They're not in the attic," she said loudly.

"Uh, uh, thank you for reporting that there's someone on the yacht, Lucas. Jake why don't you take Lucas into the senator's study and show him the old confederate uniform buttons."

"What?" said Jake, confused.

"But I really think I ought to call Haley."

"There's even some with blood on it," she pushed them both up the stairs. "Go take a peep." Jake looked back down with a "what do I do?" face and Millicent just pointed upstairs with a serious expression. Then Jake pointed at the door and Millicent turned to see Haley walking in, hair a mess, and she'd missed a button on her shirt.

Haley looked around at the house in disarray. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Millicent said. "We had a party. What happened to you?" They all sat down in the living room.

"Did you go… all the way?" Pudge asked. Haley smiled.

"Oh my God," Brooke said.

"Oh! Are you sure?" Millicent said. Haley nodded. "Here, put your feet up, okay?"

"What's it like?" asked Pudge.

"Don't ask her that!" Millicent exclaimed.

"Wait," said Brooke. "Did it hurt?"

"Brooke!" yelled Millicent. Then she turned to Haley. "You must really love him."

"I hate him to death," Haley replied.

"He attacked her, I knew it!" Millicent cried.

"He didn't attack me, I let him. Ya'll, I'm wild. I guess I've been wild all along, I just didn't know it until now."

"Way out!" Pudge said.

"Ya'll think I should throw Lucas in," she asked.

"Yes," they all said.

"It's liable to kill him."

"Oh, he'll get over it!" Millicent said. "Pudge you go get Lucas, he's upstairs."

"Wait! Don't ya'll think I should marry somebody? I mean I am way out of control."

"So marry Nathan," Brooke said.

"I wouldn't marry Nathan Scott if he were the last man in the free world."

"Beevo?" The girls all turned to see him standing in the doorway, open beer in his hand.

Millicent got up and ran over. "You rape artist!" she yelled.

"I only want to talk to her, geez."

"Hello Lucas," Brooke said as he walked into the room right that instant.

"Hi," was all Haley said.

"Hi Lucas," Nathan said.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked.

"Nathan Scott," he said holding out his hand.

"Maid, huh?" Lucas said completely ignoring his hand.

"Nathan is uh- he's uh-," Millicent tried to explain.

"He's Millicent's boyfriend!" Haley finished.

"He is not!" Millicent said.

"Oh, Milly, don't deny our love," Nathan said before he took her in his arms and gave her a passionate kiss. She pushed to get away from him, and at the moment Elvira walked by, her eyebrows raised at them, shaking her head.

Later on, upstairs, Brooke was raiding Mrs. Huxtable's closet while Pudge sat at her vanity.

"If Milly asks where I went, tell her I'm on a man-hunt."

"Brooke, what are you doing in Mrs. Huxtable's closet?"

"Looking for my ticket to Hollywood," she said pulling out a beautiful silver dress with a pink scarf attached to the hanger. She was already wearing Mrs. Huxtable's black dress, but the pink scarf would go perfect with it. "Why the face?"

"Oh, Brooke what am I going to do? I love him so much I feel sick. But he acts like I'm his pen pal."

"You spent the last twenty-four hours with him, what more do you want?"

"I want him to feel what I feel."

Brooke looked at her hickey in the full-lenth mirror. "Does this look like a birthmark?"

"And that moment when we were on the balcony. I just wanted him to take me in his arms and crush me with passion."

"There's only one way to catch a boy like Jake. Make yourself look irresistible, then act like you can't stand him," Brooke smiled.

"And be nice," Millicent said as she was helping Jake put on his tie and jacket. "And most of all do not bring them to this house until we are gone."

"What about the shag contest?" he asked.

"Oh! That's a good idea! You take them to the shag contest!"

"No! I'm not taking them to the shag contest. I entered the shag contest with Pudge!"

"Don't be stupid. You can't do the shag contest with Pudge, she's going back to Spartanburg with me!"

"Well, what if they don't want to go to the shag contest?"

"I don't care. You take them there anyway."

In the kitchen, Haley was talking marriage over with Lucas. "Nobody wants to get married, okay. I don't especially feel like getting married myself. But that's no reason to call off a wedding. My daddy's invited half the state!"

At that moment, Haley turned around and grabbed a beer from the fridge. She opened it and looked up at Lucas. "Don't test me, Haley." She took a sip and looked up at him like a child would look at their parent after doing something they weren't supposed to.

Jake knocked on Pudge's door. "Pudge?" he asked.

Pudge and Brooke were inside. Pudge was wearing her favorite blue dress, her hair done up and her makeup looking natural. She never wore make up, and Brooke promised her that it was beautiful. Just having it on, Pudge felt prettier. Pudge went for the door but Brooke grabbed her. "Don't be a moron, he's only knocked once."

Jake knocked again. "Peyton?" he said this time. Then crouched down to look through the key-hole, but at that moment, Pudge opened the door. He stood up and took the sight of her in.

"What do you want?" she said, trying to be mean.

"Wow, gosh," he said. "Blue." He couldn't stop looking at her. He normally thought she was pretty, and now she was irresistible. "Well, I guess you're leaving and everything. And I just wanted to say that I'm sorry we couldn't enter the shag contest together. And I was thinking I could come down from Annapolis sometime and-."

"I wouldn't shag with you if you were the last man in the free world," she said and shut the door in his face.

"Now wait about five minutes and go downstairs and give him a chance to apologize," Brooke said.

Five minutes later, she did go downstairs. "Jake? Where's Jake?"

"I sent him to pick up my folks," Millicent said.

"Well, is he coming back here?"

"Of course not, he's gone Pudge. Now hurry, and go change your clothes, we're leaving soon." Pudge fell to the stairs, not believing the last words she'd said to the boy of her dreams were so cruel.


	9. Shag

Chapter 9: Shag

"Beauford, what are we doing in this contraption?" said Mrs. Huxtable as they rode along in Jake's car.

A fretting Jake turned to the senator as they bobbed down the road. "Sir, let me ask your something sir. In my experience with girls. I've come to find that as soon as a girl knows you're in love with her, she starts treating you just like a dirtball. Have you found that to be true sir?"

"Every time, son, every time," replied the senator as he read the paper.

"I tried to be so cool this time, just like Nate. I never let on that I was crazy about her. But she knew. She looked right into my mind and she knew."

"This boy," Mrs. Huxtable said, "is crazy."

"Son, did your supervisor tell you where to take us because we're running real, real late," said the senator. "We need to get to the pavilion."

At the same time Jake said, "I have direct orders to take you directly to the pavilion." He looked over at him. "But there's a shag contest at the pavilion, sir."

"Yeah, we are the judges."

"We'd have been in that shag contest if she didn't- if she hadn't."

"Did you attempt a familiarity with this young lady?"

Jake snapped his head to look at him, eyes wide. "No sir! I am a southern gentleman, sir. Recently accepted to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis."

"Annapolis? Well I'm an Annapolis man myself."

"Really, sir?"

"Say, you know I have a tie exactly like that?"

At the house, Haley opened up the hall closet to put the vacuum cleaner away, when she found Nathan inside. He pulled her in and tried to close the door, but she stopped it. "This is intimate," he said.

"Let me out," she said seriously.

"What are you doing with that guy? I'm insulted. He's all wrong for you."

"You don't know me. You don't love me. You sure as all damn don't want to marry me, so why don't you leave me the hell alone."

Nathan reached back to close the door. "I don't think I can."

"That's my mama's dress," said Millicent walking up the stairs. "Take that off now, right now!"

But Brooke just walked past her. "Brooke Davis, you take every stitch of this off your body." Brooke turned around and stomped up the steps.

"Well you see if I invite you to Hollywood!" And ran into the bedroom.

Downstairs, Elvira opened up the hall closet to put away the vacuum that was sitting outside the door beside it and found Nathan and Haley making out inside. She made a face and then closed the door again.

"Everything's in the car, Millicent," Lucas said coming into the kitchen. Millicent put down the glass of water she was drinking. "I left your keys in the ignition."

"Thank you Lucas. I wish everyone was as considerate as you." Lucas just smiled. "I thought it would be so sweet. One last fling together. Those selfish little twerps!" And she started to cry.

"I wish Haley was half as mature as you, Millicent," Lucas said going over and handing her a handkerchief. "You're a great person. I keep telling myself it'll be different after we get married, but what if it isn't?"

Millicent reached up and took off her glasses. "Follow your heart," she said looking into his eyes.

The next minute, Elvira came into the kitchen and saw Lucas and Millicent in a deep passionate kiss. "Ya'll is the horniest bunch of white folks I ever seen," she said shaking her head.

There were three honks outside and Pudge yelled, "Mil, I'll be right back!" Millicent pulled out of the kiss and ran to the window.

"No!" she ran out the front door to see Pudge and Brooke (still wearing her mother's clothes) pulling onto the road. "Oh! You Judas!" Brooke winked and waved goodbye.

"Don't worry, Millicent," Lucas said as they ran to his car. "My T-bird can catch a Mercury any day!" Then they both saw that it was covered in toilet paper and shaving cream from Alex and Rachel. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled.

Pudge pulled the car up next to the pavilion and Brooke got out. "You coming in?" she asked Pudge.

"No," she replied. "I gotta get back. Millicent will be mad."

"Well, thanks for the lift. I'll write you from California."

"Good luck with Chris Keller."

"Chris Keller? Pudge, he's small potatoes."

Pudge laughed at her fickle friend. "I love you, Brooke."

"Me too," Brooke replied and walked inside. A horn honked behind Pudge and she turned around to give them a look but saw Brooke's makeup case.

"Brooke, you left your-!" but she was already gone. So Pudge went to park the car and take it into her.

Brooke scanned the crowd for him and saw him at the bar. She smoothed her black dress and adjusted her pink scarf and headed for him. He was turned the other way, so she sat down and pulled out a cigarette and when he turned back he saw her and smiled. He pulled out a lighter and lit it for her. She took a drag. "Where have I seen you?" he asked.

"Maybe in one of your better dreams," she said.

Jake was propped against a pole in the pavilion, feet tapping along with the music. He really missed Pudge, and really needed her to be there. He'd thought about asking another girl to enter with him. But that wouldn't work. Pudge was the one who got him to enjoy dancing. The girl he loved. He didn't know other girls, the way they moved, and he would never do that to himself… or Peyton.

Pudge looked for Brooke all around the place, but didn't see her at all. But she did see Jake out there line-dancing with the rest of the crowd. But he didn't look like he was having fun. She smiled.

When the song ended, the lead singer came over the microphone, "You're a great crowd. We want you to enjoy your dance contest. Big Dan and the Sand Dollars will be back!"

Then the announcer came up, "Right now, let's give a warm Myrtle Beach welcome to the judges of the 1963 Sun Fun Shag Contest. Come on! The judges all walked onstage, including Mr. and Mrs. Huxtable. "Also, let's have a round of applause for our celebrity guest, Mr. Chris Keller." The crowd went wild as Chris and Alex took the stage. She was in her bikini from the day before, and had her sash on and crown on her head. "Clear the floor please, for couple number one, Skinny and Sissy Danglers."

"Hey Rocky, wanna watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat?"

Jake turned around and there was Pudge, holding two number twelve badges in her hand, a black one for him and a white one for her.

He stood up slowly and went over to her. "You came back." And then, he cut all his losses and went in for a kiss. Pudge kissed him right back. They both made their way to watch the first couple, and across the way Pudge saw Brooke sitting with Chris Keller's manager. The manager was leaning on every word she was saying. Brooke saw Pudge and waved. Pudge waved back and Brooke held up crossed fingers for them to win the competition.

The second couple was out there now. "Who's that old couple?" Pudge asked.

"They're famous," Jake replied. "They're varsity. They win every year."

"Not this year," she said smiling.

At the judges table, Senator Huxtable looked up, his glasses on. "Marge," he said to his wife. "That young man there. Wasn't he our driver?"

His wife took his glasses and looked through them. "Yes, doesn't that girl look like Pudge?" The senator looked at the entry paper.

"Sawyer. That is her."

"Heavens no, Pudge is fat! She's pretty, she must be a first cousin."

When the varsity couple finished dancing, everyone was cheering loudly. "Way to go varisty," Pudge said, clapping.

"And now, Rachel Gatina and Chase Adams from Myrtle Beach," said the announcer.

"Move it, fat ass," Rachel said coming through Pudge and Jake.

"Go play in the traffic, liver lips!" Jake yelled. But Chase gave him a look, a dangerous look.

Rachel and Chase walked out there, Alex clapping wilding on the stage, and danced, but their shagging wasn't really shagging, it was more like dirty dancing that the kids did in the basements back home.

"I think you got something, kid," the manager said as he and Brooke made their way to where Pudge and Jake were standing. "A Mona Lisa quality."

"You really think so?"

"Oh yeah."

"I'm rooting for you Spartanburg," Brooke said to Pudge, she looked at Jake, "And Myrtle Beach."

"Is everything okay Brooke?" Pudge asked.

"Oh, I'm having the most fun," she replied with a smile.

From across the room, Mrs. Huxtable had set her eyes on Brooke's dress with looked very familiar. That and her pink scarf.

Outside, Nathan, Haley, Millicent, and Lucas were pulling up to the pavilion. "Does anybody see the car?" Millicent asked.

"No, I don't see it," Lucas replied.

"Come on, now. We'll try the path. STOP!" she yelled when she saw it. It was sunken into a sand back. "Son of a bitch!" she yelled.

"Finally, couple number twelve," the announcer said. "Petyon Sawyer from Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Jake Jigelski from Myrtle Beach." Peyton and Jake took their places in the middle of the dance space and got ready. The music came on, _Stagger Lee_, the song they'd requested because it was upbeat and fun.

And then it hit them, they started. They shagged, and stepped, and they were good. Peyton felt like there was no one else but her and Jake. She smiled and he smiled and she laughed and suddenly, she didn't care if they won or lost, because she was having a good time.

He spun her, and dipped her, and two stepped. She laughed, and he smiled.

Outside, the two couples ran inside, at first Millicent and Lucas were holding hands, with Nathan and Haley holding hands behind them. Then they realized what had happened and switched partners so that Millicent and Nathan were together and Lucas and Haley. When they got inside Millicent stopped suddenly. "Don't go in there! They're already here." And they all looked and saw her parents sitting on the stage. "Now we have to think of a lie."

"Hey!" Haley cried. "There's Pudge!" and she ran to get a better look, wide-eyed and mystified by her beautiful dancing friend. She smiled and clapped along with the crowd, laughing with excitement at how much fun Pudge was having.

On the floor, Pudge and Jake were still going at it. Everyone around them was clapping and laughing and singing along and tapping their toes. Jake spun her twice, and her flowy dress popped up beautifully.

Haley clapped and cheered and jumped up and down, running over to Nathan, who she hugged. Lucas took a spot next to Millicent.

When the song ended, Pudge attacked Jake, pulling him into a big hug. The crowd went wild with claps and cheers.

A loud cheer came from Haley and Millicent who hugged each other and jumped up and down.

"A ten?" said Rachel who was standing behind the judges with Chase and Alex. She looked down and saw the scores. "Excuse me? A ten? Are you sure?"

"Wait!" Millicent cried as Haley tried to run to congratulate Pudge. "Come back they'll see you."

"What does it matter Millicent? Your folks obviously know Pudge!"

"I'm gonna tell them that Pudge went crazy! And she ran off from us and we didn't know what to do. So we called the police and they tracked her here to Myrtle Beach."

"Millicent, why don't we just go up there and say that this was our last weekend together. And maybe we didn't feel like going to Fort Sumpter and touring god dammed colonial homes! We wanted to go to the beach and meet boys and go to wild parties and dance! Why can't we tell them the truth?"

Nathan smiled.

"I'll tell my parents the truth, when you tell Lucas the truth."

Haley turned around to an oblivious Lucas who was just standing there. She took off her engagement ring and placed it in his hand. "I can't marry you Lucas. I'm in love with Nathan."

"They- they went all the way!" Millicent cried out.

Lucas turned to Nathan who shrugged. Then Lucas reared back his fist and went for him, but Nathan ducked and Lucas hit the mirror behind him, hurting his hand. "Son of a bitch!"

Millicent ran over to see if he was okay.

"It was a unanimous decision," said the announcer. "The winners of the 1963 Sun Fun Shag contest are… couple number twelve, Peyton Sawyer and Jake Jigelski!" The crowd went wild and Jake and Pudge wrapped their arms around each other in a hug before climbing up to the stage to get their trophies. A couple people even came up and shook their hands and congratulated them, or patted them on the backs.

"But they were awful," Rachel said, pouting.


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Of course the girls had their hearts set on Fort Sumpter," Lucas said, standing with Millicent and Mrs. Huxtable, "but I said you have to come down to Myrtle Beach, surprise your folks."  
"I'm so glad you did," Mrs. Huxtable said.

It was three hours after the dance contest had ended at the Huxtable beach house. The senator had thrown together a soiree after the dance contest for some people in the area. The girls were all cleaned up and dressed, they'd told the Huxtables about Lucas and Haley's plan to end the engagement and how Lucas and Millicent were now and item. Mrs. Huxtable was more than thrilled at this arrangement.

Elvira was walking around with a cupcake tray and offered one to Brooke who would have taken one if her overbearing manager wasn't beside her making her eat celery. "Ah, ah, ah!" he said.

Pudge and Jake were walking around the yard holding hands and soaking each other in. "So after basic training, I want to get commissioned for camp Pendleton," Jake said.

"Where's that?"

"It's in California. And from there I can go anywhere."

"Lucas," Millicent said as they walked by Pudge and Jake, "I've always disapproved of tobacco use."

"To tell you the truth, so do I," Lucas replied. And Millicent giggled.

Over by the drinks stood Nathan and Haley. "You don't own anything like a winter coat, do ya?" Nathan asked her.

"I might," she responded.

"It gets cold in New Haven in Thanksgiving."

"What would I wanna go to New Haven for?" Haley joked. "Beevo?" She smiled.


End file.
